It all begins with an idea. Sculptor Cary Shafer created a Sculpture inspired by a Painting by Jo Ellen Hemphill Smith, Amaryllis! The work celebrates the Artistic Legacy of Jo Ellen’s Impact on the West Central Neighborhood, the City of Fort Wayne and beyond.

Cary Shafer’s vision for a new entrance to the city allows Jo Ellen’s spirit to continue to welcome everyone into the Neighorhood that she loved and to celebrate the artistic and vibrant Downtown Fort Wayne has come.

We aren’t done! The Hemphill Smith Art Foundation plans more public art projects to meet the needs of a city prepared to re-imagine its artistic future.